Donnie Brasco (film)
Donnie Brasco | |
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Directed by | Mike Newell |
Screenplay by | Paul Attanasio |
Based on | Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia by Joseph D. Pistone Richard Woodley |
Produced by | |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Peter Sova |
Edited by | Jon Gregory |
Music by | Patrick Doyle |
Production companies |
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Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 127 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $35 million[2] |
Box office | $124.9 million[3] |
Donnie Brasco is a 1997 American crime drama film directed by Mike Newell, and starring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp. Michael Madsen, Bruno Kirby, James Russo, and Anne Heche appeared in supporting roles. The film, written by Paul Attanasio, is based on the 1988 nonfiction book Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia by Joseph D. Pistone and Richard Woodley.[4]
The film is based on the true story of Pistone (Depp), an
Donnie Brasco premiered in Century City on February 24, 1997, and was released on February 28, 1997, by TriStar Pictures. The film was a box office success, earning $124.9 million against its $35 million budget, and received positive reviews from critics. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Plot
In 1978 New York City,
Pistone is asked by his FBI supervisor to incorporate Miami-based undercover FBI Agent Richie Gazzo into the Donnie Brasco operation. He persuades Lefty to meet with Richie and set up an illegal gambling racket in a long-closed tavern he owns. Lefty hopes to impress the local mob boss, Santo Trafficante Jr., by throwing a yacht party and persuading him to support his new business. Sonny Black finds out about Lefty's plan and intercedes by ingratiating himself to Trafficante and officially taking Donnie under his wing. Lefty believes Donnie has betrayed him and cuts ties with him until Lefty's son nearly dies of an overdose and Donnie is the only one who comes to comfort him. Pistone's marriage with his wife Maggie continues to worsen due to long absences while undercover, leaving her alone to look after their three daughters. Pistone's behavior increasingly becomes more like that of the criminal he pretends to be, even hitting Maggie when she talks back to him.
On its opening day, Sonny Black's club is raided by corrupt Miami Police officers on Trafficante's payroll as a favor for Sonny Red. Suspecting a setup, Sonny Black and his crew return to New York and gun down Sonny Red and two other mobsters in an ambush. Lefty kills Nicky afterward for lying about a drug deal and because Sonny Black suspected that he snitched on the crew in Florida. Donnie is brought in to help clean up and dispose of the bodies. Sonny Black becomes the new boss and orders Donnie to kill Sonny Red's son, Bruno, so that Donnie can officially become a member of their family. As Lefty and Donnie stake out Bruno's hiding place, Donnie tries to offer Lefty money to leave the Mafia, but Lefty begins questioning his loyalty at gunpoint. Before they can kill Bruno, the FBI arrests them both (to protect Donnie's cover) and ends the investigation.
FBI agents visit Sonny Black's hangout and reveal Donnie's true identity to the crew. When Lefty is called to a meeting with his crew, he puts his valuables away for his wife to find before leaving, knowing that he will be killed for letting an FBI agent infiltrate the Bonanno family. In a small private ceremony, Pistone receives a medal and a reward check of $500 for his service, and Maggie asks him to come home afterward.
The end title cards state that the evidence collected by Pistone in the Donnie Brasco operation led to over 200 indictments and over 100 convictions. Pistone lives with his wife under an assumed name in an undisclosed location, with a $500,000 open contract on his head.
Cast
- Al Pacino as Lefty Ruggiero
- Johnny Depp as Joseph D. Pistone / Donnie Brasco
- Michael Madsen as Sonny Black
- Bruno Kirby as Nicky Santora
- James Russo as Paulie (John "Boobie" Cersani)
- Anne Heche as Maggie Pistone
- Željko Ivanek as Tim Curley
- Gerry Becker as Dean Blandford FBI
- Robert Miano as Sonny Red
- Bruno Indelicato
- Rocco Sisto as Richie Gazzo
- Zach Grenier as Dr. Berger
- Walt MacPherson as Sheriff
- Ronnie Farer as Annette
- Larry Romano as Tommy
- Terry Serpico as Strip club owner
- Gretchen Mol as Sonny's girlfriend
- Tony Lip as Philly Lucky
- George Angelica as Big Trin
- Val Avery as Trafficante
- Madison Arnold as Jilly
- Tim Blake Nelson as FBI Technician
- Paul Giamatti as FBI Technician
Production
When Pistone's book, Donnie Brasco: My Undercover Life in the Mafia was published in 1988, Louis DiGiaimo, who worked as a casting director for Barry Levinson, was a childhood acquaintance of Joseph D. Pistone, and served as a consultant for the book, bought the film rights.[5][6] DiGiaimo brought it to Levinson's Baltimore Pictures, as well as producers Mark Johnson and Gail Mutrux, who then turned to Paul Attanasio to write the script.[5] Stephen Frears was initially hired as director for the film, but when Goodfellas, another mob film, was released in 1990, the planning for the film was pushed back.[5] Frears was adamant about casting Pacino to play Lefty.[5] After several years of development hell, Frears was eventually replaced with Mike Newell as director, and development picked up in 1996.[5] Pacino and Depp were ultimately cast in the co-starring roles, and Pistone was hired as a consultant to help them develop their characters.[7]
Releases
Donnie Brasco premiered in
Donnie Brasco was released on
Reception
Box office
Donnie Brasco was released theatrically in North America on February 28, 1997. The film earned $11.6 million from 1,503 theaters during its opening weekend.[2] It went on to earn $41.9 million in North America and $83 million from other markets, for a total of $124.9 million.[3]
Critical response
On
Critics praised Depp's performance especially: a
According to Charles Taylor in his review for Salon.com, both Pacino and Depp are "in top form"; in remarking on Pacino's frequent collaborations with younger actors (Sean Penn, John Cusack), Taylor called Donnie Brasco "the best in this series of duets" and singled out Pacino's skills: "His final scene is all the more heartbreaking for the economy of gesture and feeling he brings it. It's an exit that does justice to both the actor and the role, and it leaves an ache in the movie."[19] Entertainment Weekly reserved its highest praise for Pacino: "If Donnie Brasco belongs to any actor, though, it's Al Pacino."[14] The Playlist called it one of Pacino's best performances, writing "though Scent of A Woman, Two Bits and even (relatively) Heat showcased Pacino at his most exuberantly grandiose, Brasco brings him back to a performance of stealth and nuance".[21]
See also
References
- ^ Harris, Dana (December 17, 2001). "Mandalay on road with Summit". Retrieved October 19, 2021.
- ^ a b "Donnie Brasco (1997)". The Numbers.
- ^ a b "Donnie Brasco (1997)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 13, 2010.
- Oscars.org. Archived from the originalon February 18, 2010. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
- ^ ISBN 9781550224702– via Google Books.
- ^ "Donnie Brasco 15th Anniversary: 25 Things You Didn't Know About Johnny Depp's Classic Mob Movie" Archived 2014-03-16 at the Wayback Machine. The Moviefone Blog.
- ^ "Donnie Brasco: Out from the Shadows", featurette appearing on Donnie Brasco DVD
- ^ "Film: Looking for Al Pacino". The Independent. April 24, 1997.
- ^ "DVD Talk > Reviews". www.dvdtalk.com.
- ^ "Donnie Brasco (1997)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ "Find CinemaScore" (Type "Donnie Brasco" in the search box). CinemaScore. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (February 28, 1997). "Al Pacino as Gangster, A Guy Who's Not Wise". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Gleiberman, Owen (March 17, 1997). "Rev. of Donnie Brasco (1997)". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved December 21, 2009.
- ^ "Donnie Brasco". At the Movies. Retrieved June 7, 2010.[dead link]
- ^ "Donnie Brasco". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
- ^ Peter Travers (February 28, 1997). "Donnie Brasco | Movie Reviews". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
- ^ Mick LaSalle (February 28, 1997). "Guns and Roses / Pacino, Depp mob thriller 'Donnie Brasco' adds love triangle to the payoff". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 19, 2011.
- ^ a b Taylor, Charles (March 28, 1997). "Donnie Brasco: With Al Pacino and Johnny Depp in top form, "Donnie Brasco" is smarter than the average mob movie". Salon.com. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
- New York Magazine. pp. 55–56. Retrieved December 21, 2009.
- ^ The Playlist. The Essentials: Al Pacino's Best Performances
External links
- Donnie Brasco at IMDb
- Donnie Brasco at Box Office Mojo